While Urara's whole vibe was gradually starting to go in a strange direction over on this side, somewhere else in Tracen Academy, a certain heavily watched superstar—Miho no Bourbon, the cyber racehorse who had seized two crowns without a single defeat and was now aiming straight for an undefeated Triple Crown—had, at some point, acquired a little tail of her own.
At exactly six in the morning, Miho no Bourbon opened her eyes with machine-like precision.
"System startup complete. Current time: 06:00:13. Margin of error: 0.2 seconds."
The chestnut-haired horse girl sat up in bed, her inorganic blue eyes seeming almost to flicker with streams of data.
"Beginning morning maintenance routine. First step: proceed to cleansing area."
Her movements were precise and fluid, as though every joint angle had been calculated in advance.
She entered the washroom and picked up her toothbrush.
"Executing dental-cleaning task. Estimated time required: exactly three minutes."
Even her brushing was mechanical and regular, every stroke identical in range and force.
She did not notice that, not far away, a black-haired horse girl stood there holding a cup, brushing her teeth while muttering under her breath.
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
That horse girl was Rice Shower.
Her gaze was locked tightly onto Miho no Bourbon, and the visible purple eye beneath her bangs burned with an unusual intensity.
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
She repeated the words like some kind of spell.
"Dental-cleaning task complete. Time deviation: 0.5 seconds. Status confirmed good."
After checking the condition of her teeth in the mirror, Miho no Bourbon put down the toothbrush and moved on to the next step.
"Beginning facial-cleansing procedure."
From beginning to end, she never once noticed the stare coming from the shadows.
…
After washing up and eating a simple meal, Miho no Bourbon headed out for her morning run.
"Energy replenishment complete. Morning training program activated. Target distance: 42.195 kilometers. Target confirmed. Beginning execution."
Her figure disappeared through the dormitory entrance.
"Miho no Bourbon, launching."
And less than ten seconds behind her—
The black-haired horse girl swallowed the last bite of bread in her mouth, her purple eyes fixed firmly in the direction Miho no Bourbon had gone.
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
Muttering that to herself, she set off after her.
The black figure followed silently behind the precise, machine-like girl, maintaining the perfect distance—far enough not to be noticed, close enough not to lose track of her.
…
Morning theory class.
"Beginning knowledge-storage procedure. Today's topic: stamina distribution strategies for long-distance tracks."
Miho no Bourbon sat upright in her seat, diligently taking notes.
And in the back row of the classroom—
Rice Shower lay sprawled over her desk, staring through layers of horse-girl heads at the chestnut-haired figure near the front.
Her notebook was filled with the same sentence over and over.
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
…
Lunchtime.
Miho no Bourbon carried her tray to her usual seat.
"Beginning nutritional replenishment program. Today's menu: Master's special Kikuka-shō plan loaded."
She sat down in the nearest available spot and, as always, began refueling.
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
At a table not far away, Rice Shower sat with the same kind of tray, eating while muttering the same phrase.
Her eyes remained fixed on Miho no Bourbon, and even the rhythm of her chewing seemed to be trying to match the other girl's.
…
Afternoon at the training grounds, the sunlight was perfect.
Miho no Bourbon was hard at work preparing for the Kikuka-shō.
"Current lap count: 15. Heart rate stable at 165 beats per minute. Stamina consumption within expected range. Continuing execution."
Her running form was so flawless it looked like something copied straight from a textbook, every footfall accurate down to the centimeter.
This was Miho no Bourbon, the so-called cyber racehorse.
Seven straight wins without defeat since debut.
Three G1 victories in hand: the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, the Satsuki-shō, and the Japan Derby.
Everyone was waiting to witness the birth of a new undefeated Triple Crown winner.
And yet—
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
On the neighboring track, a black-haired horse girl was muttering to herself while chasing after her.
The long-distance workout had left Rice Shower breathing hard, but her eyes never once left Miho no Bourbon's back.
She was like a shadow, clinging tightly to that ray of light.
Waiting for the moment she could surpass it.
Naturally, the sound horse girls made on the track was impossible to ignore.
"Abnormality confirmed. A continuously trailing individual exists on the adjacent track."
Miho no Bourbon had finally noticed the little tail behind her… or had she?
"Judged to be an irrelevant factor. Continuing training program."
She chose to ignore it.
After all, it was perfectly normal for other horse girls to be running on the training grounds.
There was no reason to let it distract her.
…
Dinner time.
"Beginning Master's custom evening energy plan."
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
…
Evening self-directed training.
"Beginning hill program."
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
…
At last, the long day came to an end.
Miho no Bourbon returned to her room.
"Today's training program fully complete. Beginning sleep-preparation routine."
She changed into her pajamas and headed toward the washroom.
"Executing pre-sleep dental-cleaning task."
Everything was just as it always was.
Mechanical. Regular. Precise.
"Dental-cleaning task complete. Returning to sleep area."
Miho no Bourbon walked back into the room, preparing to lie down in bed.
And then—
She froze.
"Abnormality detected. Unauthorized individual present in sleep area."
A black figure was standing in the shadows beside her bed.
And off to one side, her petite roommate was looking at Miho no Bourbon with an awkward expression.
"Bourbon, this girl seems to be here for you?"
Without question, sharp purple eyes were staring fixedly at her.
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
"…"
Miho no Bourbon's eyes flickered several times before she retrieved the other girl's name from memory.
"Unauthorized individual identified as Rice Shower. Question: for what reason is student Rice Shower present here?"
"Keep your eyes on her… bite down and don't let go…"
Rice Shower did not answer Miho no Bourbon's question. She simply kept repeating the phrase.
Then, slowly, she rose to her feet and walked toward Miho no Bourbon.
"Warning. Individual is approaching too closely. Please maintain distance."
Miho no Bourbon reflexively stepped back.
But Rice Shower did not stop.
"Keep your eyes on her…"
Her voice came closer.
"Bite down and don't let go…"
That purple gaze burned with a kind of feverish intensity.
"Please cease approach. Otherwise defensive procedures will be initi—"
Before Miho no Bourbon could finish speaking, Rice Shower pounced.
"Got you!"
"!?"
In the next instant, Miho no Bourbon felt something sink its teeth into her pajama top.
She looked down.
Rice Shower was clamped onto the hem of her clothing like a small animal, biting it and refusing to let go.
"…"
"…"
Purple eyes and blue eyes met, each reflected in the other.
"Question: what task is student Rice Shower currently executing?"
For once, even Miho no Bourbon's voice held a trace of confusion.
"Got you."
Rice Shower was still gripping Miho no Bourbon's clothes in her teeth, so her answer came out muffled.
"I've got hold of Bourbon."
"…"
At last, even this cyber racehorse seemed to crash for a long moment before finally speaking, slowly.
"System error severe. Unable to comprehend current situation. Please provide additional information."
"It's what the trainer said."
Rice Shower finally released the fabric and lifted her head, looking earnestly at Miho no Bourbon with those purple eyes.
"He told me to keep my eyes on my opponent and bite down on Miho no Bourbon. If I do that, I can win the Kikuka-shō."
"…"
Miho no Bourbon fell silent again for a moment, then said with complete seriousness,
"Negative. Regardless of the procedure executed, the winner of the Kikuka-shō will be me."
"Well… I hate to interrupt whatever emotional exchange the two of you are having," her petite roommate said cautiously, "but even if you're that close, it's already time to sleep, you know?"
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